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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

When I first saw the photos of the three new Edward Bess Prismette Eyeshadow Quads ($68), I was uninspired. Not knowing whether the photos were bad or the palette were boring, I timidly ordered two. I'm pleased to report that the Sephora photos were "off."

These new eye shadow quads are described as rich prisms of multidimensional color. "With four
perfectly paired shades, this collection of textures ranging from soft
matte to high pearl deliver the ultimate depth and dimension" Knowing that Edward Bess has created gorgeous eye colors in the past, colors that provide an elegant, ladylike, look, I had faith.

In this feature, we'll look at Sun and Stars (#01). With luck and continued sunshine, I'll feature Cosmic Bliss this afternoon.

My photos aren't much better than Sephora's. I took them in full, morning sun, which washed out some of the life of the shades in the compact. At least the swatch photos are accurate in showing the colors on my skin. I applied the shades to my arm using a sponge-tipped applicator, and I swatched from left to right in the palette in top to bottom order on my arm.

The base shade at the top of my arm coordinates well with the other shades. It's a very warm beige and much darker on my skin than it looks in the compact. The bronze offers a subtle shimmer that has that slight orange hue that makes blue eyes pop. The grey-tauple also shimmers. It's my favorite shade in the palette.

The charcoal is charcoal. It had a medium intensity that makes it dark enough to use as an eyeliner. On my skin, that's about its only use since I'm not big on the smoky eye look.

Will Sun and Stars set the world on fire for its originality, fabulousness, or glam factor? In my opinion, no. It's a workhorse quad, but hardly one that makes me draw in my breath and think of the wonders of makeup. Is it nice? Yes. Am I glad I ordered it? A qualified yes - only because it duplicates many shades I already have. Is it my favorite of the two I ordered? No.

You can find the new Edward Bess Prismette Eyeshadow Quads at Sephora and at Edward Bess counters at Bergdorf Goodman and select (very select) Neiman Marcus stores.

Photo at top courtesy of Sephora; other photos by Best Things in Beauty

16 comments:

As to be expected, Sephora released these after their big sale, but I was able to take advantage of my 10% off VIB renewal status to order Cosmic Bliss. I should be receiving it tomorrow. So, why did I order such a basic quad? Curiosity more than anything else and the fact that some of my EB singles are on their last legs. There isn't a swatch out there that does justice to the soft glow of healthy, youthful skin that EB's shadows recreate. People will either love the understated elegance of his neutral palettes or they'll find them boring. Personally, I think every woman needs a palette or two of good neutrals, and EB typically makes some of the very best. So, I'm looking forward to seeing how his latest offering measures up :-)

I'm so glad you featured these quads!!! I was just about to order one from Neiman's & have been searching for a good review/swatch (you are so right about the awful color renditions!). One review described one of the colors in "Sun & Stars" as a "mossy green" & that obvioulsy is not correct. I have been a huge Edward Bess fan & consumer for about 3 years now & could not agree with you more about his eyeshadows being age appropriate - I don't wear anything else!!! I'm going with Cosmic Bliss also & cannot wait to receive it!!! Thanks so much for helping me make my mind up!

Dear CG, thank you for this review. As one of your readers stated, I read another review that referred to the dark color as a mossy green-which totally turned me off. Glad to know it really is charcoal.

Jane, they are calling the color to the left of the charcoal mossy green. I wish. It has a slight - really, really slight - green hue in certain lighting (dark), but on the skin it's all a light taupe brown.

About Me

Charlestongirl, a Virginia baby boomer, has a successful left-brain
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